My Little Fireball!

On October 2, Amelia turned 2! My very last baby is officially a toddler, and I am officially...thrilled. I know, I know, they grow up too fast. That is entirely correct. There are absolutely lots of things I will miss about Amelia's babyhood and having babies in general. But when I really look at the big picture, I am quite okay with where we are with our family. Every day at this age is just a window into what Amelia's sweet little mind is taking in, and she can TELL me about it. I LOVE that. She's telling stories, using complete sentences, naming her emotions. She wants to do what her big sisters do, but she still snuzzles into the crook of my neck when I rock her to sleep. Amelia is determined to wear "those pretty boots" and not the boring old sneakers. Things send her into hysterical belly laughter, and we're reaping the benefits of her humor as well. She told the dog today "Quincy, you a dog. You say woof-woof. I do not say woof-woof. I say "time for juice!" She can tell on her sisters: "Molly did that to me. I said 'no-no Molly' cause I don't like that. She made me so mad." She likes to sit on the potty, mostly to name all the Dora characters on the potty seat, to wipe repeatedly, and to flush and giggle. So far, no actual deposits in the potty, but I have learned with the first two, this will come when she feels like it and not a day sooner. These are wonderful days, and I embrace each one!

Now for the sappier part. Here are a few of the million things I will miss from my Amelia's first two years:


1) Baby smell. Fortunately, with my job and my friends' kids, I can sort of recreate this. But my own baby's smell was unique and perfect, and darn it, you can't bottle that.
2) Onesies. Those are the greatest baby inventions ever. She's far too interested in other things to sit around waiting for the snapping process on a onesie now. It's a battle I am less inclined to fight, especially with independent potty use on the horizon.
3) Nursing. I posted about this a little less than 2 years ago, when Amelia was tiny. Go back and read it. Amelia stopped cold turkey one day around age 1, telling me "Nah!" and holding out her hand in a talk-to-the-hand sort of way. Broke my heart.
4) Containment. The ability to keep one's child in an exersaucer/swing/sling/carrier/crib/carseat is an under-rated luxury. No stopping that kid now.
5) Toe sucking. I adore that phase, with the feet in the mouth. Nice clean feet.
6) Amelia's hot body. When she fell asleep on someone, she would heat up like a fireball. With her red hair, this became a fitting nickname for her.
7) Other people holding her. While she's still pretty friendly and okay to go to others, the tiny Amelia would be happy to curl her hot little self up on anyone who was willing. And many were willing. People are still willing, but she's more choosy. Frankly, this makes my job harder.
8) Maternity Leave. It was never long enough, but boy was it awesome. Just me and the kid, hanging out, wearing PJs and getting to know each other.
9) Movies with the infant. Amelia could and would sleep through movies, as long as she could be nursed on demand as needed.
10) Teeny tiny baby feet. Enough said.

Here's hoping for not-so-terrible two's, because right now, I wouldn't trade this Moment In Time for anything on Earth. Amelia, I love you, my baby girl!